Artist Statement

I grew up near the infamously toxic Love Canal in Niagara Falls. For years I have created art that examines the mutilation of our environment, and in turn ourselves. In 2015 it became even more personal when my 40 year old brother was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a blood cancer that eats away at your bones like osteoporosis. He lives in Niagara Falls on a block with house after house of families dealing with life threatening cancers and diseases.

This is not a coincidence.

With testing inside homes since 2012, it’s become clear that waste from Love Canal is still poisoning people's lives despite the government’s promises that it was cleaned up decades ago. In 1978 it was declared an environmental disaster by President Jimmy Carter and the Superfund Act was created.

40 years later there are now more than 1300 superfund sites in the United States with no clean-up dates scheduled, and we have a government that is quickly rolling back regulations on the chemical industry. Love Canal is only one of 256 known waste sites in Western New York, many of which most people don’t know exist.

At the heart of Unseen is an orchestration of real people’s voices revealing their stories of how they have been affected by toxic waste inside their own homes. These stories, all from the Niagara region, span across decades, revealing a chilling connection between the generations who have experienced this tragic situation. The Unseen voices describe what they see and smell, and share the physical and emotional burden that is their environment. The soundscape will be illuminated by video projection that captures the serene beauty of Niagara Falls. This contrast, with it’s glowing facade and dark underlying history, sits at the core of my life and my art.

I dedicate this work to my brother, the families who have suffered from Love Canal, and to the 300 students who attended the Balmer Road School.

Exhibition

Unseen will exhibit at the Burchfield Penney Art Center, The Museum for Western New York Arts in Buffalo, NY starting in March 2020.

Funding

Unseen is funded by the Global Warming Art Project grant from Ben Perrone and the ‘Environmental Maze’ project donors.